Welfare fraud crackdown to net $1.7bn

The federal government is set to reap more than $1 billion by catching welfare cheats.

Centrelink signage is seen at the Yarra branch in Melbourne

The federal government is set to reap more than $1 billion by catching welfare cheats. (AAP)





The Department of Human Services will get added powers to detect fraud and recover debt with a package of new compliance measures announced in the federal budget.

The $1.7 billion in savings over five years will be used to fund new government policies.

The department is also getting $60 million for the first phase of replacing Centrelink's age-old computer system, which makes welfare payments to hundreds of thousands of Australians.

Those initial funds will be used for business planning, design work, and four unidentified projects to make accessing services easier.


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world